Agency issues advisory over chlorine leak

FESTUS, Mo. -- Federal investigators who found that an incorrect hose led to an August chlorine leak that sickened 63 people are calling upon other chlorine users nationwide to verify materials in their transfer hoses.

In issuing Wednesday's safety advisory, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board said the hose blamed in the Aug. 14 leak at DPC Enterprises near Festus, about 85 miles north of Cape Girardeau, was built with braided stainless steel, a material not recommended for chlorine service.

Documentation from the hose distributor indicated the hose was made of a chlorine-resistant alloy, the board said.

The two kinds of braiding are virtually indistinguishable. The hose that failed evidently had been degraded by the flow of chlorine, a strong corrosive.

"The incident at DPC Enterprises underscores the very serious consequences that can ensue from chlorine hose rupture," Carolyn Merritt, the board's chairwoman, said in a statement.

"Chlorine users should treat this incident as a wake-up call to verify that their hoses are what they think they are."

The board asked that anyone who determines that a chlorine transfer hose has been misidentified or who experiences a related hose failure to swiftly contact the agency.

The board said it expects to complete within months its final report on the DPC accident, including a determination of its causes and safety recommendations to prevent recurrences.

The accident happened when a hose burst as workers were unloading chlorine gas from a railway tank car at DPC, which packages chlorine to be used in water treatment.

Because of the automatic shutdown system malfunctioned, the gas leaked for several hours, releasing about 48,000 pounds of toxic chlorine gas, before the tank's valve system could be shut down manually.

The leak prompted the evacuation of hundreds of homes and businesses, though no one was seriously injured. The 63 victims, including workers and nearby residents, sought hospital treatment.